Category: Front Page

On September 8 of each year, the world celebrates International Literacy Day, an occasion to cast light on the alarming downward trend of literacy rate in the world and its impact on achieving sustainable development. This year’s celebration is held under the theme, “Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces,” a theme the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) supports, calling for radical and concrete change in the field of literacy to support its infrastructure and enrich its content, forms, curricula and methods through an integrated lifelong learning approach.

ICESCO also reaffirms that the desired future literacy model does not only offer basic reading and writing skills but capitalizes on the rapid changes in information and communication technology, includes life skills and nurtures important thinking skills. The model also focuses on digital, professional and rights-based skills, along with lifelong learning competencies and a sense of creativity and citizenship.

Moreover, in a bid to achieve a concrete step forward, ICESCO stresses the dire need to fight against illiteracy, focus on vulnerable and poor groups, especially girls and women, mobilize sufficient financial resources and increase investment in this field. The Organization also highlights the importance of providing more free and open-source educational resources and exerting more efforts towards decentralization and good governance practices in literacy programs.

As an international organization active in the field of education, ICESCO launched the Girls and Women Literacy Award for the benefit of civil society bodies and NGOs. The Organization dedicated three prizes for leading initiatives based on its working languages (Arabic, English, and French).

Given that Africa suffers from growing numbers of illiterates, ICESCO supports the initiative of establishing the African Institute for Lifelong Learning. This establishment will be a regional hub for building the capacities of stakeholders, institutions, and regional organizations active in the field of lifelong learning. It will also offer opportunities for exchanging successful experiences, spreading knowledge, and sharing expertise in the field of adult education.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the International Conference “The Middle East: Christians and Violence,” held by the Danube Institute in Budapest, with the participation of several experts, academics, and researchers from Morocco, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Hungary, England and the United States of America.

Ambassador Khaled Fathalrahman, Head of the Center for Civilizational Dialogue, represented ICESCO at the Conference, which concluded its activities on Wednesday, September 7, 2022. He delivered an address at the opening session in which he reviewed ICESCO’s vision regarding the phenomenon of violence stating that it is a cross-border universal phenomenon that has multiple causes according to countries and regions. He also stressed the importance of perceiving Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance, highlighting the necessity of civilizational awareness and acceptance of the other.

He also reviewed ICESCO’s continuous efforts to consolidate the pillars of moderation and rejection of extremism in its action fields through the implementation of several programmes and projects, mainly international conferences, publications, and partnerships.

The Education Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with Korea Institute for Child Care and Education to discuss prospects for cooperation in the fields of early childhood education and care.
Dr. Barry Koumbou, Head of the Education Sector, and a team of experts from the sector represented ICESCO in this virtual meeting, held on Wednesday (September 7, 2022), while Korea Institute for Child Care and Education was represented by Dr. Sanji Park, President of the Institute, and his work team.

During the meeting, Dr. Koumbou reviewed ICESCO’s programmes and projects in the field of education, stressing the need to provide comprehensive care and quality education for children at an early age to enhance future job opportunities and improve health conditions, noting that ICESCO supports its Member States in developing initiatives on early childhood education and care.
For his part, Dr. Sanji Park welcomed fruitful cooperation and partnership with ICESCO to promote experience and knowledge sharing among countries of the Islamic world.

At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed to coordinate the signing of an agreement between ICESCO and the Institute, based on the implementation of joint programmes and initiatives, including studies and conferences in the field of early childhood education.

The Science and Technology Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the Cameroon National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO, to discuss ways and mechanisms for implementing a program designed to enhance water, sanitation and hygiene services in several rural schools, and develop a plan for the implementation of some relevant projects in the Republic of Cameroon as part of the program that targets 1,000 rural schools in a number of countries in the Islamic world.

During the meeting, which was held today, Wednesday (September 7, 2022) via videoconference technology, Dr. Muhammad Sharif, advisor at ICESCO Science and Technology Sector, highlighted the organization’s efforts to contribute to building future generations through many programs in the fields of education, technology, and the environment. Dr. Foued El-Ayni, an expert in the same Sector, also reviewed the objectives and the major thrusts of the program, such as providing safe drinking water in rural schools, and raising awareness of best practices to maintain the health of students and teachers by organizing training sessions.

On his part, Mr. Abdelaziz Yaoba, Secretary-General of the Cameroon National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO, thanked ICESCO for its interest in improving the educational conditions of students in rural areas through developing facilities, promoting hygienic culture and behavior, and improving educational opportunities for girls.

At the end of the meeting, the two sides agreed to define the terms of the program to include 30 rural schools.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the 5th Session of the Islamic Conference of Youth and Sports Ministers, held by the General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on 7-9 September 2022, under the theme: “Youth and Sports Development for a Solidarity-based Ummah.”
The Conference focuses on the situation of young people in the OIC Member States and stresses the importance of building their capacities to enable them to assume their roles in achieving sustainable development by capitalizing on sports.

Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of the Sector of Human and Social Sciences, represented ICESCO at the Conference. Ms. Mbaye gave an address where she highlighted the importance of supporting the youth, building societies, and disseminating the values of Islamic civilization. She noted that ICESCO prioritizes the issues of women and youth in its new vision and implements programs and initiatives that aim at building the capacities of young people in the fields of education, entrepreneurship, innovation, building peace, and promoting healthcare, culture, and sports.

Likewise, the ICESCO official gave an overview of key programs and activities that ICESCO implements in the field of building the capacities of youth and women, notably, the Leadership Training in Peace and Security Program (LTIPS), Young Professionals Program, and the Project of Countering COVID-19 Effects through Supporting Innovation and Entrepreneurship among Women and Youth.

At the close of her address, Ms. Mbaye called on the OIC bodies and other stakeholders to join ICESCO’s peace-based development initiatives and adopt a comprehensive and multisectoral approach to support women and young people.

The ICESCO representative also held several meetings, on the sidelines of the Conference with the representatives of several organizations and participating countries to explore prospects of promoting cooperation.

The Science and Technology Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the two-day regional symposium on innovation and cybersecurity in the field of civil aviation, held by the Arab Civil Aviation Organization (ACAO), in partnership with the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), and the US Transportation Security Administration, in Marrakesh, Kingdom of Morocco, to discuss the roles of technology and innovation in enhancing civil aviation security, and ways and mechanisms to develop cooperation relations to confront cyber threats.

During his participation in the symposium, Dr. Adel Smeda, Expert at Science and Technology Sector, reviewed ICESCO’s efforts to encourage Member States to enhance the use of modern technology applications in the fields of economy, environment, education and reduction of cyber threats on civil aviation security.

The participants in the symposium, including officials, experts and specialists in the field of civil aviation, cybersecurity and modern technology, discussed solutions and innovations to meet the challenges of civil aviation security, and the need to exchange experiences and best practices, cooperate in the organization of conferences and scientific seminars in the field, encourage the participation of young people in the countries of the Islamic world and support entrepreneurs.

The Center of Strategic Foresight of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the German-Arab Friendship Association (DAFG), to discuss prospects for cooperation and partnership between the two parties in the areas of building youth capacities, consolidating the values of coexistence and tolerance, and promoting civilizational dialogue.

During this virtual meeting, held on Tuesday (September 6, 2022) the two parties stressed the importance of building youth capacities in the field of security and peace through the development of joint programmes that promote civilizational dialogue between Muslim countries and Europe.

The representatives of ICESCO Center of Strategic Foresight reviewed the Organization’s efforts to protect tangible and intangible heritage and the Center’s future programmes in the field of supporting youth skills.

For their part, representatives of DAFG expressed their interest in cooperating with ICESCO in projects related to education, science and culture, and holding joint conferences.

Dr. Kais Hammami, Director of the Center of Strategic Foresight, represented ICESCO in this meeting, while the Arab-German Friendship Association was represented by Dr. Udo Steinbach, Director of the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies of DAFG, and Dr. Claus-Peter Haase, Vice President of the Association, in charge of Culture and Science Education and Training, as well as a group of the Association’s work team.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) announces the launch of the ICESCO Prize for girls and women’s literacy, for the benefit of civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for 2022, which aims to encourage pioneering initiatives and best practices in the areas of literacy and non-formal education directed towards out -of-school groups or girls and women’s dropouts.

The Prize came as part of ICESCO’s vision, which accords special importance to encouraging good experiences in the fields of literacy and informal education for girls and women and building distinct capacities of Member States in preparing policies, strategies and plans in this field, as illiteracy among girls and women is one of the major challenges facing the countries of the Islamic world, which negatively affects their development path.

Prizes are awarded to the best three initiatives, in ICESCO working languages , namely Arabic, English and French. Each Prize amounts to three thousand US dollars, in addition to ten tablets and certificates of appreciation that ICESCO will award to the three winners during one of the major conferences at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat.

Civil society organizations and NGOs wishing to participate must fill out the nomination form no later than October 31, 2022, via the following link:
https://survey.icesco.org/index.php/823482?lang=en

ICESCO will form a committee of experts to select the winning files.

For more information, please contact the Prize’s e-mail: eduprizes@icesco.org

The conditions for nomination can also be found in detail via the link:
http://www.icesco.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/Concept-Note_ICESCO-Prize_Eng.pdf

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World announce the opening of the call for nominations for the My Thesis in 1000 Words Prize. The Prize is open to final-year Ph.D. students and researchers who have finished writing their theses but have not yet done their theses defense.

The Prize aims to encourage students to hone their communication skills and sharpen their ability to present their doctoral theses in less than 1000 words.

Students interested in applying must fill in the personal information form via the link: https://tinyurl.com/yrmwuzx7, and attach a short video (file size should not exceed 10 MB) in which they creatively present their doctoral thesis in less than 1000 words, including the presentation script in Word format. The videos can be made in one of ICESCO’s working languages, Arabic, English or French. Applicants should also avoid using any supporting customs, musical instruments or laboratory equipment.

The participating presentations must be delivered in appropriate language, focused, and adapted to a non-expert audience. They must also thoroughly explain the research background and the significance of the research questions and explicitly highlight the research conclusions and findings.

After the close of applications on September 30, 2022, a jury of specialized experts and academics will evaluate the entries and select ten (10) nominees for the finale, who will be invited to ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat to deliver in person their presentations during a special ceremony, in the presence of researchers/professors, university presidents, deans, and directors of university institutions.

The winners will be announced on November 7, 2022. The jury will select the first and second place winners, while the attendees will select the audience award winner.

The first place winner will receive USD 2,000, the second USD1,500, and the third winner will get USD1,000.